Construction at Greek Village
CONWAY—The Panhellenic Council has seen a 20 percent increase of women joining sororities during the fall 2014 recruitment due in part to the construction of Greek Village on campus.
Greek Village is a housing system primarily for fraternities and sororities on campus. The first phase of construction began in spring with plans to complete five sorority houses by fall 2015 for Move-In Day. As part of the second phase, five fraternity houses will also be built.
“The addition of the new Greek Village most definitely contributed to our higher numbers. I think the visual of it on Donaghey Avenue really got women excited about going Greek,” said Assistant Director of Student Life Lindsey Osborne. “The attraction of Greek life is in the relationships that you make. Seeing the investment that UCA has made with the groundbreaking of Greek Village has contributed to that attraction and excitement.”
The first phase of Greek Village includes five two-story sorority houses, each with a 32-student capacity. These houses will be the new homes of the sororities Alpha Sigma Alpha, Delta Zeta, Sigma Kappa, Alpha Sigma Tau, and Sigma Sigma Sigma.
“It is very encouraging to me that our Greek numbers have increased this fall. As we move ahead with the construction of Phase I of UCA’s Greek Village, I believe we will see an additional increase next fall,” said UCA President Tom Courtway. “This project will also help in student recruitment for the institution, and the new houses will transform the north end of campus. Plus, the new houses and increased numbers will see Greek alums come back to campus and become more involved with the university as we move ahead.”
In 2001, the Panhellenic Council adopted a deferred recruitment process, which required women to complete one semester of college before they could join a sorority. In 2013, the Panhellenic Council decided to recruit during the fall semester, which allows incoming freshmen to join. The numbers jumped 66 percent in 2013 as a result.
“Students who are involved in Greek life graduate at a higher rate than those students who do not get involved in Greek life. Greek Village is a great addition to our campus and will increase our academic success rate,” Osborne said.
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